The first attacker lunged recklessly.
He came from the left, screaming to drown out his fear, spear thrusting straight for Yang Kai's chest. The movement was crude—no footwork, no guard, just blind aggression.
Yang Kai shifted half a step.
The spear grazed past his ribs.
His axe moved in the same breath.
A wet crack split the air as the blade carved diagonally through the man's shoulder and chest. Bone resisted for a fraction of a second before giving way. Blood sprayed across the fallen leaves.
The body dropped.
No pause.
A second man charged from the front, rusted blade swinging wildly. Yang Kai raised his axe shaft to block. Metal screeched against wood. The force numbed his palm, but he twisted, drove his knee into the attacker's stomach, and slammed the axe head upward beneath the man's chin.
Teeth shattered.
The blade tore through jaw and skull.
Two down.
Behind him, steel rang like a bell.
The girl moved like flowing silk cut by lightning. One dagger caught a descending club, redirecting it off course. The second dagger flashed low, slicing across a thigh. The attacker collapsed mid-stride, tendons severed.
She did not waste energy finishing him. Another opponent was already on her.
Yang Kai felt rather than saw someone rushing from his blind spot. He spun, but he was a fraction too slow. A stone smashed against his shoulder, pain exploding through muscle.
"Shit—"
Before the next strike landed, a purple blur intercepted.
Her dagger pierced the attacker's wrist cleanly. The stone fell. She twisted the blade, stepped inside his guard, and opened his throat in one smooth motion.
Blood poured over her hand.
Her expression never changed.
Yang Kai grinned despite the sting in his shoulder.
"Not bad."
But inside his thoughts was different.
Her speed and strength are greater than mine. Is it because I'm weak… or did she...?
Yang Kai's eyes narrowed.
Three more pressed forward together, trying to overwhelm them with numbers. Smarter than the rest. One feinted high while the other two aimed low.
Yang Kai retreated a step, forcing them to bunch closer.
That was their mistake.
He roared and charged instead.
The axe swept horizontally, forcing the first to leap back. Yang Kai immediately reversed the momentum, dragging the blade down in a brutal arc that split the second attacker's collarbone.
The third drove a spear toward his abdomen.
Too close.
Yang Kai abandoned the axe with one hand and grabbed the shaft mid-thrust. Splinters bit into his palm. He yanked the man forward and headbutted him hard enough to crack bone.
The girl finished him.
Her dagger slipped between ribs from behind.
She pulled free before the body hit the ground.
For a brief second, the remaining attackers hesitated.
They had expected chaos.
Instead they found coordination.
Yang Kai retrieved his axe, chest heaving now. His stamina was dipping. The new body still lacked endurance. Muscles trembled faintly beneath the rush of adrenaline.
He couldn't drag this out.
The forest floor had become slick with blood.
"Spread them," he muttered.
She moved instantly, veering right and slicing at two opponents to pull their attention. They chased her, anger overcoming caution.
Yang Kai sprinted left.
He met the largest man head-on. Their weapons collided, shock running up his arms. The man was strong—stronger than the others.
They locked for a breath.
Yang Kai's lips curled.
He suddenly released the pressure and pivoted. The man stumbled forward off balance.
The axe rose.
Then fell.
It split through the back of the man's neck and lodged deep.
Yang Kai wrenched it free with a snarl.
A scream rang out behind him. One of the men chasing the girl collapsed, clutching his abdomen as blood spilled between his fingers. She stepped over him and slashed the second across the face, blinding him before cutting clean through his exposed throat.
Only two remained now.
They looked at each other.
Then at the bodies scattered across the clearing.
Fear replaced fury.
One turned to run.
Yang Kai hurled his axe.
The spinning blade struck the man square in the spine, dropping him instantly.
The last attacker screamed and charged blindly at the girl.
She didn't retreat.
She stepped forward.
Their bodies crossed for half a heartbeat.
Then he fell in two separate directions, a crimson line opening across his torso.
Silence descended once more.
Leaves drifted lazily through the clearing, settling among the dead.
Yang Kai walked to retrieve his axe, pulling it free from the corpse with a grunt. His chest rose and fell heavily now. Sweat mixed with blood across his skin.
He glanced at the girl.
She stood still, daggers dripping red, purple hair untouched by the chaos as if she had merely passed through rain.
The numbers in the sky flickered again, decreasing rapidly.
Yang Kai let out a slow breath.
"This shit's getting interesting."
The clearing was quiet again.
Blood soaked into the roots of ancient trees. Broken bodies lay scattered in unnatural angles. Above them, the blue screen flickered coldly, its numbers descending without mercy.
Yang Kai wiped the edge of his axe against a corpse and exhaled slowly.
Then his gaze shifted to the girl.
His expression turned serious.
I still have to be careful around her, he thought, watching the way she cleaned her daggers with unhurried precision. She's already F-Rank Regular… I think.
His jaw tightened slightly.
And that's the scary part. Her potential is fucking terrifying. What kind of immortal am I? I haven't even reached F-Rank.
For the first time since entering this test, a thin thread of pressure wrapped around his chest.
He turned toward her.
"Hey," he said casually, as if they hadn't just butchered a small army together. "What's your name?"
For a moment, she didn't answer.
Her pink eyes studied him—measured, unreadable.
Then, in a soft and controlled voice, she spoke.
"Princess Zoya. You can call me."
Yang Kai blinked.
His face went blank.
Huh? What kind of name is this?
Princess?
He resisted the urge to laugh.
Instead, he shrugged and slung the axe over his shoulder.
"Hm. I'm Yang Kai," he replied. "So I'm leaving now. Hope we meet again in futur—"
"I'm coming with you."
Her voice cut cleanly through his sentence.
Yang Kai stopped mid-step.
Slowly, he turned his head.
His red eyes darkened, a terrifying glint flashing within them.
"…And why is that?"
There was no warmth in his tone now.
Zoya didn't flinch.
"Because father told me," she said calmly, "to make friends with someone who can help me."
Yang Kai's expression froze for half a heartbeat.
Then it changed instantly.
A wide smile spread across his face.
"Oh?" he said lightly. "Then come with me."
But inside, his thoughts were moving fast.
Taking her on my side for this test is good enough.
If she was truly F-Rank Regular, keeping her close was better than facing her later.
The two of them began walking deeper into the forest side by side.
Not partners.
Not friends.
Just two predators moving in the same direction.
Their footsteps were steady. Unhurried.
They were not searching for safety.
They were searching for prey.
Above the trees, the blue screen flickered again.
098,023,212
098,023,115
The number kept falling.
Somewhere else in the forest—
Corpses lay in a circle, their bodies still warm. The ground was torn and gouged from violent combat. Blood streaked across bark and stone.
Horikita and Jhon sat against the same tree trunk, breathing heavily. Their weapons rested beside them. Sweat mixed with dried blood across their skin.
In front of them stood a boy wearing a mask.
His sword rested casually on his right shoulder, its blade stained dark.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Hey," he said lazily. "Aren't you guys healed yet? It's been a while."
Horikita frowned in confusion and looked at Jhon.
Jhon looked back at her with the same expression.
Then both turned toward the masked boy.
"Huh?" Horikita said. "What are you talking about? Our wounds will take at least a month to heal."
Jhon nodded firmly. "Yeah. That shit doesn't just disappear."
The masked boy stared at them for a moment.
Then he burst into laughter.
"Haha… so you didn't notice."
He lowered the sword from his shoulder and pointed it lazily toward the forest around them.
"And how could you notice? You two fight the moment one fight ends. No rest. No pause."
He tapped the flat of his blade against his own chest.
"This area has rules."
His voice lost its playful tone.
"If you rest for a while… and you're not in combat… your body starts to heal."
Horikita's eyes widened slightly.
Jhon straightened against the tree, disbelief clear in his face.
The masked boy continued, amused by their reaction.
"You're in a test designed to push you to kill each other. If everyone had to wait a fucking month to recover after every injury, the administrators would be bored out of their minds."
He glanced up toward the faint glow of the blue screen through the trees.
"The system doesn't want you dead from infection or exhaustion."
He lowered his sword slowly.
"It wants you fighting."
A tense silence followed his words.
Horikita flexed her fingers experimentally.
She hadn't noticed before.
But now—
The throbbing pain in her ribs had dulled.
The cut on Jhon's arm wasn't bleeding anymore.
They stared at each other.
The masked boy chuckled again.
"Next time," he said casually, turning away, "try sitting still for more than five minutes before assuming you're dead."